Pitch People, 25th Anniversary 4K Documentary Review-- Available Now --Selling Us The Gadgets We Didn't Know We Needed

25th Anniversary of the Never-Before-Seen Feature Documentary

Fully Restored in 4K

Directed, written, and produced by Stanley Jacobs (96 Souls), PITCH PEOPLE features Arnold Morris, Nancy Nelson, Lester Morris, Al Spino, Sandy Mason, Ed McMahon, Jerry Crowley, Joe Fowler, Jan Muller, John Parkin, Chester Nairne, Wally Nash, Jerry Mascuzzio, James Mason, Ian Long, and Harry Matheson.

AVAILABLE ON iTUNES, AMAZON PRIME VIDEO & GOOGLE PLAY: May 17th, 2024

We've all seen them, whether you are at the fair or watching TV, 'Pitch People' are the show person who sells us the latest gadget that we didn't know that we needed. Until 1984, when Ronald Reagan made it ok for a commercial to last more than 60 seconds in the USA, the infomercial was born and the rest is history. But speaking of history, sales & pitch people have been selling since the beginning, or at least it's one of the stories we are told here in this fascinating documentary. 

[L-R] Arnold Morris and Nancy Nelson showcasing “Super Chef Knives” in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films.

This film is now 25 years old and it has a certain charm to it and it may not be of interest to a lot of people, but if you have ever been in sales in any capacity I am sure that this will interest you and give you some insight into some of the most popular gadgets that we had seen in the 1990s & before. Some great background on some of the items I remember having in our house or had seen at a friend's house, back in the day.

Lester Morris on Early 1950s TV Pitch featured in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films

I, Anthony,  have been in sales as long as I can remember, my first real job on the sales floor, which would take me into people's homes was when I lived in Kelowna, BC. I worked for a vacuum sales company and was asked to join one of the salesmen in a home demonstration. It was set up at the store and we would follow up and go to the customer's house and show them why they needed our vacuum more than the one they already had. 

I was not good at it and only lasted a few weeks after trial & error.

We later moved to Vancouver and after a few jobs here and there, I finally found a home at Varsity Video, where I would work for 5+ years. When I began there, I did not know how to sell anything, but my boss Bill Shellard took me under his wing and taught me how to sell a VCR and then upsell a TV.

Again, we would "sell" a movie to a customer, the way we did that is to be on the sales floor and help the customer with the selection of their movie(s). Being a huge movie fan, this came easy to me and he got someone else to sell the bulkier items, VCRs & TVs.

Jerry Mascuzzio showcasing “Salsa Maker” in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films

The difference here, in Pitch People, is that they are on convention floors, trade shows, and in the local fairs at times, not selling to one person at a time, but 20, 30 & possibly more with each plug they do for that item at a time.

Now, with the infomercial they were selling millions from the ads, so many celebrities became spokespeople for certain products and even attached their names to them. 

Arnold Morris in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. 

Photo courtesy of SJPL Films

The most interesting part of the film is the interviews with the 'Pitch People' themselves, how they got into it, why they kept doing it, and how they think the future of the industry will do. There is really no secret trick here, some are clearly better at it than most and they are the ones that have made millions off of one, or more products in their lifetime.

The amount of people that are interviewed & featured in this film is great and each has some stories to share. You may not have seen that particular person in the town or city where you live, but the product was definitely there.

Seeing this documentary brought back a lot of memories for me from seeing some of the old advertisements and seeing some of the old footage of some of the salespeople working their charm on the crowd.

[L-R] Nancy Nelson and John Parkin showcasing “Royal Diamond Cookware” in the documentary, PITCH PEOPLE, a SJPL Films release. Photo courtesy of SJPL Films.

Like any business, they are all connected and in it for the same reason, for the money, but where this could have been turned into a kind of sleazy documentary, I saw a love for the business of it all and the people who are in the world of sales and helping people with certain items that were mainly around the home, generally the kitchen.

There is pride there in the quality of the products that are sold and it's all about building up one's confidence and believing in the product enough to be able to sell it to even one person, let alone millions.

Pitch People is available now 

See the trailer here here